Department for Transport

Take-away Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has spent on take-away food for staff since May 2010.

Claire Perry: The Department is unable to provide information on how much, if anything, has been spent on take-away food for staff as data is not collected at this level of detail and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Catering

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Claire Perry: The table below shows the spend on refreshments by the Department for Transport and its agencies (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Highways Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Vehicle Certification Agency, Driving Standards Agency, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency).  Department for Transport and Agencies 2010-1111 months from May£248,803.092011-1212 months£181,701.412012-1312 months£157,981.012013-1412 months£174,178.932014-157 months to October£103,769.57 TOTAL £866,434.01

Ledbury Station

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to provide funding for disabled access at Ledbury station.

Claire Perry: We have no current plans to provide funding to improve accessibility at Ledbury station. Last year we asked the rail industry to nominate stations for our Access for All programme but Ledbury was not among the 278 stations put forward.

Railways: Hereford

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what investment Network Rail made in the infrastructure on the Hereford to Paddington line in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014 to date.

Claire Perry: Under Control Period 4 (2009 - 2014) Network Rail has doubled the Cotswolds line at a cost of £70m. This involved around 20 miles of track re-doubling from east of Charlbury to Ascott-under-Wychwood, and from Moreton-in-Marsh to west of Evesham, as well as upgrading Worcester Foregate Street station with local growth funds. £895m is being invested in the Reading station area to deliver capacity, capability and performance improvements – and this work is now nearing completion. Further investment is being delivered in Control Period 5 (2014 – 2019). This includes electrification of the Great Western Mainline from London Paddington to Oxford. Network Rail is delivering significant capacity and passenger improvements at Oxford Station and also delivering significant infrastructure works on sections of this line in preparation for the new Intercity Express, Crossrail, and EMU fleets all being introduced over the next 5 years.

Railways: Hereford

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the forecast number of passengers that will be carried on the Hereford to Paddington line in 2014.

Claire Perry: The Department does not hold the information in the format requested. Analysis of anticipated demand and capacity is a key part of Network Rail’s planning for the rail network and the recently published Western Route Study provides analysis of much of the route between Hereford and London. The Western Route Study is available at the following web address:   http://www.networkrail.co.uk/long-term-planning-process/western-route-study/

Railways: Hereford

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many passengers were carried on the Hereford to Paddington line in 2013.

Claire Perry: Although the Department for Transport does hold some information on passengers carried on the Hereford to Paddington Line, this has been provided on a commercially confidential basis so cannot be released. However, station usage statistics published by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) show the estimated number of passengers using each station in Great Britain, including Hereford, and can be found at the link below:http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates

Railways: Beckenham

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to provide for easier access to London by train from stations in Beckenham.

Claire Perry: Beckenham Junction and Beckenham Hill stations already have step free access to each platform, as do nearby West Wickham and Hayes. No other nearby stations have been nominated for our Access for All programme by the industry.

Railways: Halifax

Mrs Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the target date is for the electrification of the Calder Valley route through Halifax.

Claire Perry: Currently no timescale exists for the electrification of the Calder Valley route through Halifax. The scheme is one of a number which are being considered by the joint Task Force of northern MPs and council leaders set up to explore future electrification in the North. This group is expected to provide the Transport Secretary with an interim report in February 2015 setting out its recommended priorities for scheme development in future rail funding Control Periods from 2019.

Northern Rail

Mrs Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when a decision will be made on the next Northern Rail Franchise.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport is currently considering the responses to the joint public consultation with Rail North which concluded on 18 August. An announcement about the franchise will be made shortly.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list all petitioners against the High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Bill who have reached a settlement with HS2 Ltd prior to their petition being heard by the Select Committee on the Bill.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As part of the normal process of engaging with petitioners against a hybrid Bill, HS2 Ltd have been working with petitioners to agree resolutions to the issues raised in their petitions. The following petitioners have either reached agreement or been satisfied by the statutory compensation arrangements available, and therefore have withdrawn their petitions: 9Pete Bennett223Andrew Shaw225Steven Mervyn Hough227Julian Stevenson229N S Gill 230Mr Ronald Drake235Paul Allen242Veolia ES Birmingham Ltd359TB Resort Holdings SARL371RSM Leisure Limited399The Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House440The Garden and Leisure Group Limited442Tacho Fit 443Ruttle Holdings Ltd444Ghanim International (UK) Limited472Rippleglen Limited478Trinity House845John Barnes1301Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust1306The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country1466William DC Jones1743Alan Charles Butler of Upper House Farm1748Susan Petford1754Charles Edward Baskerville1769Andrew John Watts1795Colmore, Retail Birmingham, Broad Street, Southside & Jewellery Quarter Trust. From time to time, the Private Bill Office publishes the list of petitioners who have withdrawn, and this is available on Parliament’s website.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Fareham

Mr Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2014 to Question 215590, what proportion of staff employed at the National Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham on 1 November 2014 have currently (a) received the amount of training and (b) attained the level of qualification that will be required in order to carry out their duties when that centre takes on its full operational responsibilities in December 2015.

Mr John Hayes: As at 1 November 2014 50% of Coastguards employed at the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) in Fareham have currently (a) received the amount of training and (b) attained the level of qualification that will be required in order to carry out their duties when the centre takes on its full operational responsibilities in December 2015. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency anticipates all staff currently employed at the NMOC to have received the training and qualifications required to carry such duties by December 2015. All Coastguards currently undertaking watch keeping duties at the NMOC have received the amount of training and level of qualification required for the duties they are currently required to undertake at this point in the transition programme.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: Lancaster

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people have (a) bought a home for the first time and (b) made mortgage applications in Lancaster district since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: My Department does not hold this information.The Council of Mortgage Lenders does publish some information on the number of first time buyers and mortgage approvals at a national level.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his priorities are for the extended negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme; and if he will make it his policy to withhold UK support for lifting sanctions until his Department sees irrefutable evidence of Iran dismantling any nuclear weapons capability.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK’s goal is to prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear weapons capability. The UK, with E3+3 partners and Iran, will use the extended negotiating period until end of June to explore fully a deal which achieves this by restricting key elements of Iran’s programme and by building confidence over time in the peaceful nature of Iran’s programme. Sanctions will only be lifted in return for concrete actions which address our proliferation concerns.

Business: Human Rights

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government plans to take forward the commitment to review access to justice set out in the Government's Business and Human Rights Action Plan.

Mr David Lidington: The Government’s Action Plan commitment to keep the provision of remedy under review reflects the importance we attach to this pillar of the UN Guiding Principles. We will continue to monitor the provision of both judicial and non-judicial mechanisms, including as part of our review of the Action Plan in 2015.The UN Guiding Principles are a voluntary framework, but we have been ready to back these up with specific measures, including regulatory measures, where necessary. Examples of this are the amendment to the Companies Act, introduced on 1 October 2013, which requires Listed Companies to report on their human rights impacts and which will be strengthened further in 2016, and the Modern Slavery Bill, which includes provisions for greater transparency in supply chains.

Business: Human Rights

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the timetable is for review of the Government's Business and Human Rights Action Plan.

Mr David Lidington: The UK’s National Action Plan reflects the Government’s commitment to implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We are committed to reviewing and issuing an updated Action Plan by the end of 2015. We will use a cross-Government approach, as we did when developing the Action Plan, to reflect the fact that business and human rights goes across a broad range of Government activities and responsibilities. We continue to report back each year on progress in our Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Burmese government on allowing humanitarian access to Rohingya Muslims who are displaced in Rakhine state.

Mr Hugo Swire: We have raised our concerns at the situation of the Rohingya community in every one of our recent Ministerial contacts with the Burmese government. The former Foreign Secretary, my right hon. Friend the member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised the situation in Rakhine State in a call with his Burmese counterpart, U Wunna Maung Lwin, in April. He called for the Burmese government to facilitate humanitarian assistance to all communities in the State. I also raised this issue with Khin Maung Soe, Burmese Minister for Electric Power in July, as well as with the Burmese Ambassador, whom I summoned in April to register my concerns. My hon. Friend the member for New Forest West and Minister of State for International Development (Mr Swayne), discussed Rakhine with Minister for the President’s Office, U Soe Thein in August. In October the Minister of State for International Development specifically raised the difficulty of delivering humanitarian assistance to displaced people in Rakhine with the Minister for Immigration and the Rakhine Chief Minister.  In Rangoon our Ambassador and Embassy officials consistently discuss these concerns with representatives of the Burmese government.

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Burmese government on granting citizenship to the Rohingya.

Mr Hugo Swire: This is an issue that we regularly to raise with the Burmese government and which I discussed with the Minister for Immigration and the Rakhine Chief Minister during their visit to the UK in October. While we welcome the limited citizenship verification in Taungpaw for internally displaced people that has seen some individuals from the Rohingya community granted citizenship status, we continue to urge the Burmese authorities to follow a transparent, inclusive and consistent process in establishing the status of all inhabitants of Rakhine State. We are also clear that, regardless of citizenship status, the human rights of all individuals in Rakhine must be fully respected.

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance his Department is providing to the internally displaced Rohingya.

Mr Hugo Swire: UK support to internally displaced persons of Rakhine State, including the Rohingya community, is provided by the Department for International Development (DFID). In April, DFID announced an additional £5.8m humanitarian funding for Rakhine State – bringing our total allocation for humanitarian work there to £12m since 2012 and making us one of the largest bilateral donors. Our aid supports shelter, water sanitation and hygiene programmes, nutrition and protection activities, as well as non-food items for over 114,000 people. We also provide support to the United Nation’s coordination of the international humanitarian response. The humanitarian situation in Rakhine State remains of concern. We continue to urge the Burmese government to work toward a long-term solution to bring peace and reconciliation.

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of fighting in Kachin State and northern Shan State in Burma.

Mr Hugo Swire: The recent fighting in Kachin and Shan States, and the shelling of a training camp in Kachin which killed 23 people on 19 November, has been widely reported. We have concerns about the impact it will have on the peace process in Burma. We call for an end to the violence to allow for the resumption of meaningful negotiations towards a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement.

Business: Human Rights

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to review the Government's Business and Human Rights Action Plan.

Mr David Lidington: We are committed to reviewing our Action Plan in 2015. We will use a cross-Government approach, as we did when developing the National Action Plan, to reflect the fact that business and human rights runs across a broad range of Government activities and responsibilities. A cross-Government Steering Group, led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the department for Business Innovation and Skills, and including around 10 other government departments, oversees delivery of the Action Plan. A detailed implementation plan sets out the action needed to deliver against each of the Action Plan commitments, and the departments responsible for taking this forward. This provides a mechanism for ensuring that all Whitehall departments understand their roles in delivering the Action Plan, and for monitoring progress and holding departments to account. We are committed to reporting on progress in the FCO’s Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. We are working with business and civil society to ensure that the Action Plan delivers real impacts and contributes to preventing human rights abuses by companies wherever they operate, or providing remedy when they occur. We will continue to consult and collaborate with key stakeholders in monitoring delivery of this plan and helping to refresh and update it in future.

Ukraine

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance is being given by the UK to the effort to discover what happended to Malaysian Airlines Flight 17.

Mr David Lidington: We continue to work with the Dutch Public Prosecutors Office (OM) on their report into war crimes, terrorism, murder and the destruction of MH17. Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) are providing advice and support to the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which operates under the mandate of UNSCR 2166, and we have placed two UK police Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) specialists into the DVI Team in the Netherlands.

Middle East

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the new High Representative for the EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on Palestinian statehood and the EU's position on encouraging a two-state solution in the Middle East.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) spoke to the new High Representative for the EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (Federica Mogherini) about the Middle East Peace Process on 11 November. She updated the Foreign Secretary on her trip to the Middle East and discussions with the US Secretary of State John Kerry. There were further discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council on 17 November.

Catering

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Mr David Lidington: The net amount spent on hospitality and catering with the contracted caterer at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the UK during the period May 2010 to November 2014 is £818,259. The equivalent figure for spend with the contracted caterer for the period 2005-2010 is £1,599,274. The FCO provides hospitality for a wide range of Government events to support the UK's national interests, promote British business and attract foreign investment. All spending is rigorously scrutinised to ensure that it represents good value for money for British taxpayers. Expenditure by overseas posts is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Palestinians

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports his Department has received on the efforts of the Palestinian Authority to access water from the Eastern Mountain Aquifer.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not received any reports on the efforts of the Palestinian Authority to access water from the Eastern Mountain Aquifer. However, the UK regularly raises issues of water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, including stressing the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current unacceptable situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank and Gaza.

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the Legal Memorandum: War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity in Eastern Myanmar published by the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School in November 2014.

Mr Hugo Swire: The findings of the Harvard Law School report are of serious concern. A judgement on whether war crimes or crimes against humanity have been committed is a matter for the courts, but we remain committed to the principle of accountability for all crimes through an independent and transparent judicial process. Our wider priority is for a permanent solution to the conflicts in Burma. We are encouraging this by funding experts with experience of the peace process in Northern Ireland to support the peacemaking dialogue in Burma.

Bahrain

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on the visit of Prince Nasser bin Hamad to the UK.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I have had no direct representations on the visit of Prince Nasser bin Hamad to the UK. However a small amount of correspondence has been received from honourable members and members of the public in relation to the visit.

United Arab Emirates

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of the United Arab Emirates regarding the decision of that government to include Islamic Relief on a list of terrorist organisations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The list provided by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) included a broad range of different groups, numbering 85 in total. We are seeking further clarity from the Emiratis on their rationale for some of these designations, and any practical implications. Islamic Relief is not proscribed in the UK. The list of groups proscribed in the UK is available on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/380939/ProscribedOrganisations.pdf

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Students: Finance

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the Student Opportunity Allocation for 2015-16 will be maintained at the same level as in 2014-15.

Greg Clark: The proportion of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education this year is at record levels.Widening participation in higher education remains a priority for this Government. We will announce the funding we will make available for higher education in 2015/16, in the usual way in our grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), which is due for publication in early 2015. HEFCE is responsible for deciding the detail of allocations to institutions.

Postgraduate Education

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on equality of access to postgraduate funding for full-time and part-time students.

Greg Clark: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) provides funding to higher education institutions (HEI) for postgraduate study: £240m to support the costs of postgraduate research supervision; and £120m to contribute to the costs of providing postgraduate taught programmes. Postgraduate taught funding is based on a calculation of full-time and part-time student numbers. HEFCE allocations to HEIs are subject to the conditions of the grant set out in its Memorandum of Assurance and Accountability, which requires that HEIs should, as a minimum, comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. HEFCE monitors HEIs’ progress with regard to equality and diversity. Research Council funding for postgraduate research training is through research organisations, who undertake the selection and recruitment of students. The Research Council UK (RCUK) terms and conditions for training grants require that research organisations should meet the RCUK Expectations for Equality and Diversity in all aspects of the recruitment and career management of students. Students may be full-time or part-time. Research Councils collect and analyse data on the gender, ethnic origin and age of supported students to monitor the effectiveness of their policies and initiatives.

Postgraduate Education

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many postgraduate taught students commenced a course when they were aged over (a) 25, (b) 30 and (c) 40 in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14; and what proportion of such students were studying part-time in each such year.

Greg Clark: The Higher Education Statistics Agency collects and publishes data on entrants at UK Higher Education Institutions. The number of postgraduate taught entrants aged over 25, 30 and 40, and the proportion within each age group who are studying part time, can be found in the table for the academic years 2011/12 and 2012/13.   Statistics on entrants a UK Higher Education Institutions in the academic year 2013/14 will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2015.   Total Postgraduate taught entrants (1) by age (2), and mode of study UK Higher Education Institutions Academic years 2011/12 and 2012/13   Academic Year 2012/13 Aged over 25Aged over 30Aged over 40Total (all ages)Postgraduate TaughtFull-time39,84015,6253,815141,090 Part-time35,53526,56512,90544,075 Total75,37542,19016,720185,165   Academic year 2011/12 Aged over 25Aged over 30Aged over 40Total (all ages)Postgraduate TaughtFull-time43,54517,0254,135147,315 Part-time40,29029,89014,36550,105 Total83,83546,91018,500197,420   Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record   Notes: Figures are rounded to the nearest five; therefore the sum of components may not add up to the total 1. Entrants refer to those students in their first year of study 2. Age refers to the age of student at 31st August 3. The sum of rows will not add up to the total row number as there are duplications of students in the age categories

Royal Bank of Scotland

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information has been provided to his Department since May 2014 by the Royal Bank of Scotland in respect of the running of its Global Restructuring Group.

Jo Swinson: I can confirm that this Department has not been provided with any such information.

Construction: Industry

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will have discussions with representatives of the construction industry on their use of umbrella companies; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 01 December 2014



While I have not been approached by representatives from the construction industry on this matter, I am open to representations on the use of umbrella companies in the construction sector.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Mr Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what consideration he has given to the impact the proposed changes to the Disabled Students Allowance, set out in the written ministerial statement on 7 April 2014, will have on the job prospects of disabled students during and after higher education.

Greg Clark: Disabled Student Allowances will continue to be available to students who need support whilst studying. Higher Education Institutions will remain obliged to make any reasonable adjustments. Having a degree improves employment outcomes and research shows that over the long term graduates earn on average substantially more than non-graduates.

Department for International Development

Catering

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Since May 2010 and across our 2 UK headquarters and 30 overseas offices DFID has spent £597,489.16 on catering and hospitality.

Occupied Territories

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on developing a co-ordinated response to demolition of donor-funded infrastructure in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as a result of Israeli action.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK remains deeply concerned about demolitions of Palestinian property, which cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, are harmful to the peace process and, in all but the most limited circumstances, are contrary to international humanitarian law. The UK and the EU are currently engaging with the Israeli authorities in order to accelerate the approval of UK-funded masterplans for Palestinian communities in Area C of the West Bank. These plans provide the basis for sustainable development in Area C and reduce the risk of demolition.

Occupied Territories

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what projects funded by her Department in East Jerusalem or the West Bank of the Occupied Palestinian Territories have (a) outstanding stop work orders, (b) outstanding demolition orders and (c) been demolished since 2010; and whether the Government has asked the government of Israel for compensation for destruction of any aid-funded projects.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID has not directly funded infrastructure projects in either East Jerusalem or the West Bank since 2010, and as such has not been subject to stop work or demolition orders. The UK has not asked the government of Israel for compensation for destruction of any aid-funded projects.

Palestinians

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what aid projects funded by her Department in Gaza were damaged or destroyed during the recent conflict; and what the value of UK funding was for each such project.

Mr Desmond Swayne: An assessment from the UN Relief and Works Agency indicates that nine out of thirteen schools built using DFID funding sustained damage during the recent conflict. The cost of the damage was around £75,000 and is being covered by reallocating the project underspend.

Take-away Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has spent on take-away food for staff since May 2010.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID has not spent any money on take away food for staff since 2010.

Palestinians

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with its international partners and the Palestinian Authority on the proposed construction of a water desalination plant in the Gaza Strip.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK has regular discussions with the UN, the Office of the Quartet Representative (OQR) and other partners who are working on this issue. A desalination plant can only be built, however, with increased imports of construction materials, and would only be effective with a reliable and sufficient power supply in Gaza. The UK has provided £500,000 for the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism with the objective of enabling reconstruction to take place at the scale required. In addition, and in close co-ordination with our EU partners and the OQR, we continue to press the Israeli Government at ministerial and official level to ease the restrictions on Gaza, and to take actions which will improve the chronic energy and water shortages there.

United Arab Emirates

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations she has made to the government of the United Arab Emirates regarding the decision of that government to include Islamic Relief on a list of terrorist organisations.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer given on 3 December 2014 by my right honourable Friend the member for Bournemouth East (Tobias Ellwood MP), the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (216422).

Vacancies

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many posts her Department has externally advertised in each year since 2010; and how much her Department paid in interview expenses in that time.

Justine Greening: The following table confirms the number of posts advertised externally in each of the last 3 years, together with the interview expenses paid for the same period.Number of posts advertised externallyExpenses paid201247£37,559.80201390£32,452.59201479£28,259.31   It is not possible to provide the information for previous years.

Labour Turnover

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which five country offices have had the highest turnover of staff from her Department in each year since 2010.

Justine Greening: The DFID country offices with the highest turnover of staff in 2014 were:   1.India2.Sudan3.Pakistan4.Democratic Republic of Congo5.Ethiopia   Providing the turnover rates for previous years could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Training

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what has been the cost of workshops funded by her Department in each year since 2010.

Justine Greening: An estimate of expenditure related to this could only be completed at disproportionate cost.

Department for Education

Catering

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Mr Nick Gibb: Detailed information in the form requested is not held centrally and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Pupils: Bullying

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that all teachers receive training in how to recognise and deal with bullying in schools; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Gibb: All bullying is insidious and there can be no place for it in our schools. In recognition of this, the Government is funding a number of initiatives to help schools tackle bullying. The Department for Education is currently providing £4million to anti-bullying organisations to help tackle bullying in schools and, in conjunction with the Government Equalities Office, we recently announced a new £2million fund to support projects which specifically tackle homophobic bullying. We have also produced case studies and advice to help schools understand how best to identify and prevent bullying, and support children who are being bullied. Teachers play a critical role in tackling bullying, and ensuring the safety of their pupils. The Teachers’ Standards, which must be met by all those awarded qualified teacher status (QTS), and which inform teachers’ annual appraisals, require teachers to “establish a safe and stimulating environment for students, rooted in mutual respect”. Teachers must also “manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment”. Providers of initial teacher training, headteachers and teachers themselves are best placed to determine the types of training and development that will help teachers to meet the standards, responding to their particular local circumstances.

Take-away Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on take-away food for staff since May 2010.

Mr Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not hold information centrally that would enable the identification of expenditure on take-away food for staff.

Dyslexia

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average age was of people diagnosed with dyslexia in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Pendle constituency in each of the last three years.

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many diagnoses of dyslexia were made in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Pendle constituency in each of the last three years.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not collect specific information on the numbers of children diagnosed with dyslexia but we do publish information on pupils with specific learning difficulties as collected via the School Census and this grouping will include children whose primary needs is dyslexia. Data separating dyslexia from other forms of specific learning difficulties is not available. The answer therefore provides data on pupils identified with specific learning difficulties.At present only those with a statement or on ‘School Action Plus’ need to provide their type of special educational need (SEN) but those on ‘School Action’ do not, which means this will not give complete coverage.However, under the new SEN and disability reforms, which came into force on 1 September 2014, schools are required to provide data on type of needs for all children identified with SEN.The information in the tables below has been taken from the Statistical First Releases ‘Special educational needs in England: January 2012 to 2014’.[1]When completing their School Census data return, schools are required to identify the primary type of need and the secondary type of need, information on the primary type of need is given below.  2014Primary schoolsSecondary SchoolsSpecial SchoolsEngland29,83536,5651,155North West4,8654,740215Lancashire517528312013Primary schoolsSecondary SchoolsSpecial SchoolsEngland30,36039,2051,090North West4,7955,445175Lancashire571735292012Primary schoolsSecondary SchoolsSpecial SchoolsEngland31,58041,9401,055North West4,9405,775145Lancashire73779627Figure 1: Number with primary need type of specific learning difficulty, by type of school, region and Local Authority (those with a statement or on school action plus – not collected for those on school action) 2014Total number of childrenAverage ageSchool Action Plus57,50510.7Statement10,04511.8All67,55010.9   2013Total number of childrenAverage ageSchool Action Plus60,18010.9Statement10,48011.9All70,66010.9   2012Total number of childrenAverage ageSchool Action Plus63,69510.8Statement10,88011.9All74,57511.0Figure 2: Number with primary need type of specific learning difficulty and average age (type of need not collected for those on school action).  [1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2014

Schools: East Ham

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what new school projects are currently being considered for the East Ham Police Station site which has recently been acquired by the Education Funding Agency; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Edward Timpson: The East Ham Police Station site is currently earmarked for the London Design and Engineering (LDE) University Technical College (UTC). However, the Department for Education has not yet entered into a funding agreement with the LDE UTC trust and is in discussion with the trust about the development of the project, including the most suitable site to meet the UTC’s needs. A number of other new school projects are also currently being considered as alternative options for the East Ham Police Station site. A decision will be made in early 2015. Given the sensitivity of the discussions I am not able to to release the names of the projects at this stage.

Teachers

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the retention rate is for secondary school teachers of each subject area.

Mr David Laws: The information is not available in the format requested. Information on teacher retention is currently derived from the Database of Teacher Records (DTR). However, this data source does not contain information on either the subject(s) of a teacher’s qualifications or the subject taught by the teacher.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to enable the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure.

Mr Edward Timpson: The UK Government believes that strong and effective laws already exist in the UK under which individuals, including children, may seek enforceable remedies in the courts or tribunals if they feel that their rights have been breached. We do not therefore currently believe that ratification of the Optional Protocol is necessary. Nonetheless, the Government will continue to keep this under review.

Science: Teachers

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of secondary school (a) chemistry teachers hold a chemistry degree, (b) physics teachers hold a physics degree and (c) maths teachers hold a maths degree in each region of England.

Mr David Laws: The following table shows the proportions of secondary school chemistry, physics and mathematics teachers holding degrees or higher in those subjects in each region. The table also shows, for England only, the percentage of teachers with a relevant post A level qualification in chemistry, physics and mathematics. This measure includes teachers who have trained in these subjects either via degrees or other relevant qualification routes (eg the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)). Proportions of secondary school chemistry, physics and maths teachers holding degrees or higher in the relevant subjects which they teach, English regions, November 2013  Chemistry Physics Mathematics %Confidence Interval (+/-)[1] %Confidence Interval (+/-)[1]   %Confidence Interval (+/-)[1]North East747 609 473North West664 535 492Yorkshire and the Humber734 566 452East Midlands665 606 483West Midlands674 565 412East of England634 495 442Inner London667 599 483Outer London644 575 482South East624 554 432South West595 615 442England651 562 451 England (including all relevant post A level qualifications)761 66 2 781 Source: School Workforce Census [1] Confidence intervals have been calculated around the proportions as not all secondary schools were able to submit curriculum information, and not all qualifications returns were complete. The confidence intervals show the statistical accuracy for the data, and give a range within which we can be reasonably sure (95% certain) that the true value actually lies.

Ministry of Justice

Legal Aid Scheme

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been paid to each of the 50 highest (a) barrister and (b) chambers beneficiaries of criminal legal aid payments in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Shailesh Vara: In relation to barristers, a statistical publication was released on 2 January 2014 which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/legal-aid-statistics-barrister-fee-income-from-public-sources-201213. This contains information for the financial year 2012/13 on the data and methodology used and includes payments from both the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Legal Aid Agency (LAA). Table 1 below contains LAA statistics for 2012-13 as per the published statistics, but covering criminal legal aid only, excluding non-criminal legal aid and CPS payments, with ranking from 1-50. In relation to chambers, the Ministry of Justice does not hold the information that has been requested. The LAA does hold an address for each barrister but does not record as routine which chambers they work at as there is no legal or business requirement for it to do so, and each barrister can work for multiple chambers during their working life.   Table 1:Ranking Criminal legal aid only (£)1 675,7982 600,1203 510,9644 500,3495 460,3696 450,9517 446,1258 438,6519 417,02610 399,92511 395,40312 382,47513 372,66414 366,82615 354,40216 351,91817 346,98118 340,32919 339,71120 334,51421 332,99722 328,09423 327,74624 326,78825 321,71226 308,34127 305,56828 304,45129 297,26230 293,22531 292,65932 289,82333 286,95434 286,47335 283,58936 281,93637 278,91738 277,59539 277,32040 277,26741 272,58842 272,36843 269,83444 268,31945 267,16346 267,11347 266,67548 266,50549 266,39150 266,058

Prisoners

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of the prison population was in jail for (a) sex-related offences, (b) vehicle crime, (c) violent crime, (d) drug-related offences, (e) benefit-related fraud and (f) non-benefit-related fraud in each year since 2005.

Andrew Selous: Crime is falling and under this Government more offenders are going to prison and for longer. In 2012 the law was changed to introduce an automatic life sentence for a second very serious sexual or violent offence and there are several measures to strengthen sentencing in this area in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, currently going through Parliament. These include ending automatic half-way point release for criminals convicted of child rape and ensuring that all dangerous offenders who receive the tough Extended Determinate Sentence (EDS) are no longer automatically released two-thirds of the way through their custodial term. The Government has also banned the use of simple cautions for serious offences.  Information on the number of offenders in prison by offence group in England and Wales is published routinely in the ‘Offender Management Statistics Quarterly bulletin’ and can be found in Table A1.4 of the annual prison population tables. Copies of the current publication and those of previous years are available from the Library of the House and via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/339036/prison-population-2014.xls

Prisoners: Sexual Offences

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been jailed for sex-related offences in each year since 2005.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people jailed for sex-related offences in each year since 2005 were aged (a) under 25, (b) between 26 and 45, (c) between 46 and 64 and (d) over 65 years old at the time of sentence.

Mike Penning: All sexual offences are abhorrent and the most serious offences carry severe maximum penalties. Since 2009, more sex offenders are being sent to custody, and for longer. The average custodial sentence length for all sexual offences has increased from 49.3 months in 2009 to 59.1 months in 2013. This Government has also introduced an automatic life sentence for a second very serious sexual, or violent, offence and is legislating to end automatic early release for all dangerous offenders, and all for child rapists. Offenders sentenced to immediate custody at all courts in England and Wales, from 2005 to 2013 (latest data available), by age groups, can be viewed in the following table. Offenders sentenced at all courts for sexual offences, England and Wales, 2005 to 2013 (1)(2)OutcomeAge group2005200620072008 (3)20092010201120122013   Immediate custody25 and under57457857965666276677476371826-451,2571,2891,2441,2951,2891,3211,3361,3501,39046-6468072076379777191798197091265 and over178200191204218255322314338All2,6892,7872,7772,9522,9403,2593,4133,3973,358   (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.   (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July and August 2008.Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Prisons: Food

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average daily cost is of providing meals for each prisoner who is (a) on remand and (b) serving a criminal sentence.

Andrew Selous: The average food cost per prisoner per day for all those held within public sector prisons in England and Wales for the fiscal year ending March 2014 was £1.98. This figure has been calculated from food cost figures for year 2013-14 and the average prisoner population for the same period. All figures are the latest auditable figures available.

Marriage

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to bring legislative proposals to Parliament to allow the legal recognition of humanist marriages.

Simon Hughes: The Government has consulted on whether the law should be changed to allow legally valid humanist and potentially other non-religious belief marriages. We are considering the responses we received and the implications for marriage law and practice if a change were to be made. We plan to publish the Government’s response to the review before 1 January 2015.

Members: Correspondence

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2014 to Question 211297, when he expects to write to the hon. Member for Tooting.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Currently the number of unrepresented defendants is not separately identifiable from defendants where no legal representation is known. The Ministry of Justice is actively working to identify these defendants. Analysis across the department is currently underway which is seeking to improve data quality and establish a robust methodology to identify parties at court without legal representation. I expect to be able to write to the Rt Honourable Member in the New Year. A copy of the letter will be placed in the House Library.

Sentencing

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, How many (a) suspended sentences, (b) cautions and (c) custodial sentences were handed down in each year since 2010 for (i) burglary, (ii) sexual assault, (iii) grievous bodily harm, (iv) rape, (v) manslaughter, (vi) attempted murder, (vii) forgery, (viii) fraud, (ix) theft of a motor vehicle, (x) theft from a person, (xi) robbery, (xii) sexual activity with a child under 16, (xiii) sexual activity with a child under 13, (xiv) sexual assault of a female, (xv) rape of a male, (xvi) rape of a female, (xvii) sexual assault on a male, (xviii) child abduction, (xix) abandoning children aged under two years, (xx) cruelty or neglect of children, (xxi) wounding or other acts endangering life, (xxii) causing death by aggravated vehicle-taking, (xxiii) causing death by driving while unlicensed or uninsured, (xxiv) causing death of a child or a vulnerable person, (xxv) causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs, (xxvi) manslaughter due to diminished responsibility, (xxvii) causing death by reckless driving, (xxviii) threat or conspiracy to murder, (xxix) perverting the course of justice, (xxx) violent disorder, (xxxi) kidnapping, (xxxii) blackmail, (xxxiii) intent to supply a controlled drug, (xxxiv) possession of a controlled drug, (xxxv) criminal damage, (xxxvi) arson, (xxxvii) common assault, (xxxviii) dangerous driving and (xxxix) firearms offences.

Mike Penning: Whilst crime is falling, since 2010 offenders are more likely to go to prison, and for longer. In 2013, of all offenders sentenced for indictable offences, 27% were sentenced to immediate custody, 23% to community sentences, 18% to a fine, and 12% to a Suspended Sentence Order. In 2013, for the first time in the period between 2003 and 2013, immediate custody was the most common disposal given for indictable offences. This Government is creating a tough justice system with severe penalties available for serious offenders. We have already introduced automatic life sentences for a second serious sexual or violent offence, and we are legislating to end automatic early release for child rapists, terrorists and dangerous offenders. Our radical reforms to rehabilitation will mean for the first time every offender leaving prison spends at least 12 months under supervision, where currently around 50,000 are released each year with no statutory support. This will start to address the scandalous gap that allows our most chaotic offenders to leave prison with no support or supervision to turn their lives around. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts, within the maximum penalty set by Parliament for the offence. Courts have discretion to suspend an adult custodial sentence and since December 2012 have been able to suspend a sentence of two years or less, where previously only a sentence of 12 months or less could be suspended. The Government is clear that serious offences should always be brought to court and to ensure that there is increased public confidence in the justice system announced in November last year changes to police guidance. This revised guidance states simple cautions should not be given for indictable only offences, certain serious either way offences or repeat offenders unless there are exceptional circumstances and a senior police officer, as well as the CPS for certain cases, has agreed that a caution should be administered. We have legislated in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill to put statutory restrictions on the use of cautions for serious offences and repeat offenders. The number of people cautioned and offenders sentences at all courts for the requested offences, in England and Wales, in each year from 2010 to 2013 (latest data available) are published on the Ministry of Justice website and can be viewed at the following link:- https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-december-2013 From the above link select “Outcome by offence” noting that: grievous bodily harm offences can be viewed under assault with intent to cause serious harm; causing death by reckless driving can be viewed under causing death by dangerous driving; and wounding or other acts endangering life can be viewed under other acts endangering life.

Prisons: Civil Disorder

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times and to which prisons (a) Tornado Teams and (b) the National Tactical Response Group has been called out in each month since January 2014; how many Gold Command prison incidents there have been in each month since January 2014; and on how many occasions (i) police stations and (ii) court cells have been used to accommodate prisoners in each month since January 2014.

Andrew Selous: It has not proved possible to answer this question within the set timeframe. I will write to the Rt. Hon. Member in due course.

Ministry of Defence

Public Appointments

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions his Department has made appointments by exception since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 25 November 2014



The Civil Service Commission recognises that in some circumstances it may be right to allow appointments to be made outside of the principle of selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Those exceptions are designed to provide a flexible way of recruiting staff where this is necessary in the interests of the Civil Service; for example, to meet a short-term need for specialist skills. The information requested is contained in the table below.The Ministry of Defence does not hold records of appointments by exception prior to Financial Year 2012-13. For data protection purposes, name of individuals appointed to roles cannot be disclosed. Financial YearNo. of appointmentsmade by exception2012-131342013-141692014-15 (to 31 October)95

Ammunition

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much ammunition was allocated to courses involving the training of artillery personnel and forward observation officers to call in fire in each year since 31 March 2011; and what the cost of such ammunition was.

Mr Philip Dunne: Holding answer received on 01 December 2014



The amount of ammunition allocated to courses involving the training of artillery personnel and forward observation officers and cost of such allocation is shown in the table below. YearRounds of Ammunition AllocatedCost (£)2011-1225,51023,082,0002012-1320,86022,791,0002013-1418,97024,441,0002014-1523,12027,013,000

Marchwood Military Port

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the specifications for the maximum (a) amount of land to be used and (b) quantity of munitions permitted to be stored in future at the Sea Mounting Centre at Marchwood, have been reduced during the course of negotiations with commercial bidders for the lease of land on the Ministry of Defence site; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Due to the requirement to protect competitive tension, all negotiations with commercial bidders are confidential. The intention to continue to manage the movement of munitions at Marchwood Port remains unchanged.

Take-away Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on take-away food for staff since May 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: The amount spent on take-away food is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

European Defence Agency

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will support the creation of a European Defence Agency common fund to support multi-nation research and capability projects.

Mr Julian Brazier: In December 2013 the European Council invited the European Defence Agency (EDA) to examine ways in which Member States could cooperate more effectively and efficiently in pooled procurement projects. One initial approach currently being considered by the EDA is to create a common fund to support Member States for specific pooled procurement projects. We are waiting to see more details of the proposals before taking a view; however as the EDA is an intergovernmental body accountable directly to member states it will not entail EU institutions owning defence capabilities.

Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what fires have taken place on UK (a) nuclear-powered and (b) nuclear-armed submarines since 3 July 2012; and how many such fires were aboard HMS Talent and HMS Triumph.

Mr Philip Dunne: Due to the nature of submarine operations, meticulous records are kept of all fire safety incidents, irrespective of how minor. Since 3 July 2012 there have been 14 small-scale fires, that were categorised as minor, including one on HMS TRIUMPH. They were dealt with quickly and effectively using on board resources.

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sorties were flown by RAF Reaper Remotely Piloted Air Systems, in Afghanistan in each year since 2008.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Catering

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Anna Soubry: The amount spent on catering and hospitality is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army Reserve

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral Answer of the hon. Member for Canterbury on 24 November 2014, Official Report, column 633, on army reserve, how many people have dropped out of the reserve recruitment process as a result of the time taken to process applications since July 2013.

Mr Julian Brazier: It is not possible to identify the number of Army Reserve candidates who withdraw from the process specifically as a result of the time taken to process applications. Candidates withdraw for a variety of reasons, such as changing their minds, taking up other opportunities or failing to be contactable by recruiters. They may also be deferred (such as for medical reasons) or pending (candidates choosing to put their applications on hold) for certain periods and re-enter the process at a later date.

Single Source Regulations Office

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in establishing the Single Source Regulations Office; what budget has been set for the first year of operation of that office; and what estimate he has made of the number of contracts it will consider in financial year 2014-15.

Mr Philip Dunne: Considerable progress has been made in establishing the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) as the regulator for the new single source procurement framework. The Chair of the new body was formally appointed in May 2014 and non-executive directors were appointed in October. The SSRO held its first Board meeting on 13 October. The new body is in the process of recruiting staff, establishing its new offices in Finlaison House, and setting up its processes and IT systems. It has also been consulting closely with key stakeholders in industry and in Government over its role as the independent regulator. The SSRO issued its first newsletter in mid-November highlighting progress already made and its plans over the next few months. This is available on the gov.uk website.The budget for the SSRO in the financial year 2014-2015 has been set at £2.9 million.Secondary legislation to enable the new single source procurement framework is currently being considered by Parliament, having been laid at the end of October. In order to facilitate the implementation of the new framework, when it comes into force, it will initially only cover new qualifying defence contracts with a value of £500 million or more with this threshold falling to new qualifying defence contracts with a value of £5 million or more as from the end of March 2015 onwards. We therefore estimate that this higher initial threshold will only affect a handful of new contracts (and related subcontracts) signed before the end of March 2015.

Armed Forces: Females

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made in its review of rules regarding servicewomen being barred from close combat; and when this review will report its findings.

Mr Mark Francois: The review is ongoing and will report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence by the end of the year.

Department for Work and Pensions

Welfare Assistance Schemes

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he discussed with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government the local welfare provision review, published by his Department on 5 November 2014, prior to the publication of that review.

Steve Webb: Ministers and officials from my Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government hold regular discussions about a number of issues. These include local welfare provision and my department’s review.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the net present value of the universal credit project if claimant numbers in December 2019 were to be (a) 15 per cent, (b) 20 per cent, (c) 25 per cent and (d) 30 per cent lower than currently forecast.

Mr Mark Harper: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people engaged on community work placements have received a sanction in each month since the programme started.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will develop a contingency plan in the event that the digital approach to delivering universal credit is delayed; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Harper: Planning for contingencies is already a feature of the Universal Credit programme because we are committed to rolling out Universal Credit safely in a controlled way – based on our test and learn approach.

Welfare Tax Credits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made in its discussions with HM Revenue and Customs on plans to transfer tax credit debt to his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Harper: Both DWP and HMRC are working in partnership to deliver appropriate solutions to recover tax credits debt from Universal Credit (UC). Significant progress has been made and we are on track to deliver solutions to timescales aligned to UC Programme delivery.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Catering

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Dan Rogerson: The total amount spent on catering and hospitality in Core Defra between May 2010 and 31 March 2014 (the latest date for which audited information is available) was £1.566m.

Quagga Mussels

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the risks to native wildlife and habitats from the arrival in the UK of Quagga mussels; and how that assessment was carried out.

George Eustice: The likelihood of the arrival of the quagga mussel was identified by informal horizon scanning. In response, we commissioned a thorough risk assessment which was reviewed in accordance with the standard procedures established by the Great Britain Non-Native Species Secretariat. The risk assessment was completed before the quagga mussel was first detected in England.

Crayfish

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of risk arising from the arrival of the red swamp crayfish to the wildlife and environment in England; and what steps the Government will take in response to its arrival.

George Eustice: Defra carried out a thorough risk assessment of the potential impact of red swamp crayfish in 2011. The risk assessment concluded that this species would be likely to have major environmental impacts if established. In response to these findings, Defra developed an action plan to tackle the threats posed by this species and other invasive non-native crayfish. This can be found at:  www.nonnativespecies.org//downloadDocument.cfm?id=1120

Take-away Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on take-away food for staff since May 2010.

Dan Rogerson: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Inspections

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential options for improved efficiency, burden reduction and information and intelligence sharing under the (a) Disease Surveillance - Tuberculosis, (b) Disease Surveillance - Brucellosis (Sheep and Goats), (c) Disease Surveillance - Salmonella National Control Plan, (d) Disease Surveillance - Avian Influenza, (e) Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Inspection, (f) Animal Health and Welfare Cross Compliance Inspection, (g) Poultry Meat Marketing Terms Inspection, (h) Veterinary Medicine Residue Inspection, (i) Welfare on Farms (WOFAR) Inspection, (j) Egg Marketing Inspection, (k) Egg Hygiene Inspection, (l) National Feed Audit Inspection, (m) EFUs and other Tuberculosis-Related Inspection, (n) Animal By-Products Incinerators Inspection, (o) Imported Animals Inspection, (p) Animal Gatherings Inspection, (q) Plant Health and Seed Control - Surveillance, (r) Plant Health and Seed Control - Export Certification, (s) Control of Notifiable Pests and Diseases in Honeybees, (t) Inspections for Environmental Protection - Planned, (u) Inspections for Environmental Protection - Responsive, (v) Permit Inspection for Intensive and Poultry Farms, (w) Inspection for Water Resource Protection, (x) Dairy Hygiene Inspection, (y) Local Authority Farm Inspection - Planned, (z) Local Authority Farm Inspection - Responsive, (aa) Integrated Site Assessment (SSSI and HLS), (bb) Wildlife Licensing Inspection, (cc) Animal Poisoning Inspection, (dd) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Inspection, (ee) Injurious Weeds Inspection, (ff) Cross Compliance Inspection, (gg) RDPE Compliance Monitoring Inspection, (hh) Single Payment Scheme Land Eligibility Inspection, (ii) Sheep and Goat (SAG) Identification Inspection, (jj) Cattle Identification Inspection, (kk) Veterinary Medicines Regulations Inspections, (ll) Felling Licence Inspections, (mm) Checks for Illegal Tree Felling, (nn) EIA for Forestry Projects: Pre-Approval and Compliance Visits, (oo) SPHN: Farm Visits for Phytopthora spp., (pp) Checks for Chalara Infection, (qq) Grant Inspections - Title I and Title I Ex-Post, (rr) Grant Inspections Title II and (ss) Aquaculture Production Business Inspection inspection regimes.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on combining (a) Disease Surveillance - Tuberculosis, (b) Disease Surveillance - Brucellosis (Sheep and Goats), (c) Disease Surveillance - Salmonella National Control Plan, (d) Disease Surveillance - Avian Influenza, (e) Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Inspection, (f) Animal Health and Welfare Cross Compliance Inspection, (g) Poultry Meat Marketing Terms Inspection, (h) Veterinary Medicine Residue Inspection, (i) Welfare on Farms (WOFAR) Inspection, (j) Egg Marketing Inspection, (k) Egg Hygiene Inspection, (l) National Feed Audit Inspection, (m) EFUs and other Tuberculosis-Related Inspection, (n) Animal By-Products Incinerators Inspection, (o) Imported Animals Inspection, (p) Animal Gatherings Inspection, (q) Plant Health and Seed Control - Surveillance, (r) Plant Health and Seed Control - Export Certification, (s) Control of Notifiable Pests and Diseases in Honeybees, (t) Inspections for Environmental Protection - Planned, (u) Inspections for Environmental Protection - Responsive, (v) Permit Inspection for Intensive and Poultry Farms, (w) Inspection for Water Resource Protection, (x) Dairy Hygiene Inspection, (y) Local Authority Farm Inspection - Planned, (z) Local Authority Farm Inspection - Responsive, (aa) Integrated Site Assessment (SSSI and HLS), (bb) Wildlife Licensing Inspection, (cc) Animal Poisoning Inspection, (dd) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Inspection, (ee) Injurious Weeds Inspection, (ff) Cross Compliance Inspection, (gg) RDPE Compliance Monitoring Inspection, (hh) Single Payment Scheme Land Eligibility Inspection, (ii) Sheep and Goat (SAG) Identification Inspection, (jj) Cattle Identification Inspection, (kk) Veterinary Medicines Regulations Inspections, (ll) Felling Licence Inspections, (mm) Checks for Illegal Tree Felling, (nn) EIA for Forestry Projects: Pre-Approval and Compliance Visits, (oo) SPHN: Farm Visits for Phytopthora spp., (pp) Checks for Chalara Infection, (qq) Grant Inspections - Title I and Title I Ex-Post, (rr) Grant Inspections Title II and (ss) Aquaculture Production Business Inspection inspections with any others of these inspections.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on implementing improved risk-based selection for the (a) Disease Surveillance - Tuberculosis, (b) Disease Surveillance - Brucellosis (Sheep and Goats), (c) Disease Surveillance - Salmonella National Control Plan, (d) Disease Surveillance - Avian Influenza, (e) Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Inspection, (f) Animal Health and Welfare Cross Compliance Inspection, (g) Poultry Meat Marketing Terms Inspection, (h) Veterinary Medicine Residue Inspection, (i) Welfare on Farms (WOFAR) Inspection, (j) Egg Marketing Inspection, (k) Egg Hygiene Inspection, (l) National Feed Audit Inspection, (m) EFUs and other Tuberculosis-Related Inspection, (n) Animal By-Products Incinerators Inspection, (o) Imported Animals Inspection, (p) Animal Gatherings Inspection, (q) Plant Health and Seed Control - Surveillance, (r) Plant Health and Seed Control - Export Certification, (s) Control of Notifiable Pests and Diseases in Honeybees, (t) Inspections for Environmental Protection - Planned, (u) Inspections for Environmental Protection - Responsive, (v) Permit Inspection for Intensive and Poultry Farms, (w) Inspection for Water Resource Protection, (x) Dairy Hygiene Inspection, (y) Local Authority Farm Inspection - Planned, (z) Local Authority Farm Inspection - Responsive, (aa) Integrated Site Assessment (SSSI and HLS), (bb) Wildlife Licensing Inspection, (cc) Animal Poisoning Inspection, (dd) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Inspection, (ee) Injurious Weeds Inspection, (ff) Cross Compliance Inspection, (gg) RDPE Compliance Monitoring Inspection, (hh) Single Payment Scheme Land Eligibility Inspection, (ii) Sheep and Goat (SAG) Identification Inspection, (jj) Cattle Identification Inspection, (kk) Veterinary Medicines Regulations Inspections, (ll) Felling Licence Inspections, (mm) Checks for Illegal Tree Felling, (nn) EIA for Forestry Projects: Pre-Approval and Compliance Visits, (oo) SPHN: Farm Visits for Phytopthora spp., (pp) Checks for Chalara Infection, (qq) Grant Inspections - Title I and Title I Ex-Post, (rr) Grant Inspections Title II and (ss) Aquaculture Production Business Inspection inspection regimes.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on continuing the (a) Disease Surveillance - Tuberculosis, (b) Disease Surveillance - Brucellosis (Sheep and Goats), (c) Disease Surveillance - Salmonella National Control Plan, (d) Disease Surveillance - Avian Influenza, (e) Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Inspection, (f) Animal Health and Welfare Cross Compliance Inspection, (g) Poultry Meat Marketing Terms Inspection, (h) Veterinary Medicine Residue Inspection, (i) Welfare on Farms (WOFAR) Inspection, (j) Egg Marketing Inspection, (k) Egg Hygiene Inspection, (l) National Feed Audit Inspection, (m) EFUs and other Tuberculosis-Related Inspection, (n) Animal By-Products Incinerators Inspection, (o) Imported Animals Inspection, (p) Animal Gatherings Inspection, (q) Plant Health and Seed Control - Surveillance, (r) Plant Health and Seed Control - Export Certification, (s) Control of Notifiable Pests and Diseases in Honeybees, (t) Inspections for Environmental Protection - Planned, (u) Inspections for Environmental Protection - Responsive, (v) Permit Inspection for Intensive and Poultry Farms, (w) Inspection for Water Resource Protection, (x) Dairy Hygiene Inspection, (y) Local Authority Farm Inspection - Planned, (z) Local Authority Farm Inspection - Responsive, (aa) Integrated Site Assessment (SSSI and HLS), (bb) Wildlife Licensing Inspection, (cc) Animal Poisoning Inspection, (dd) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Inspection, (ee) Injurious Weeds Inspection, (ff) Cross Compliance Inspection, (gg) RDPE Compliance Monitoring Inspection, (hh) Single Payment Scheme Land Eligibility Inspection, (ii) Sheep and Goat (SAG) Identification Inspection, (jj) Cattle Identification Inspection, (kk) Veterinary Medicines Regulations Inspections, (ll) Felling Licence Inspections, (mm) Checks for Illegal Tree Felling, (nn) EIA for Forestry Projects: Pre-Approval and Compliance Visits, (oo) SPHN: Farm Visits for Phytopthora spp., (pp) Checks for Chalara Infection, (qq) Grant Inspections - Title I and Title I Ex-Post, (rr) Grant Inspections Title II and (ss) Aquaculture Production Business Inspection inspection regime at its current level.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on continuing the (a) Disease Surveillance - Tuberculosis, (b) Disease Surveillance - Brucellosis (Sheep and Goats), (c) Disease Surveillance - Salmonella National Control Plan, (d) Disease Surveillance - Avian Influenza, (e) Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Inspection, (f) Animal Health and Welfare Cross Compliance Inspection, (g) Poultry Meat Marketing Terms Inspection, (h) Veterinary Medicine Residue Inspection, (i) Welfare on Farms (WOFAR) Inspection, (j) Egg Marketing Inspection, (k) Egg Hygiene Inspection, (l) National Feed Audit Inspection, (m) EFUs and other Tuberculosis-Related Inspection, (n) Animal By-Products Incinerators Inspection, (o) Imported Animals Inspection, (p) Animal Gatherings Inspection, (q) Plant Health and Seed Control - Surveillance, (r) Plant Health and Seed Control - Export Certification, (s) Control of Notifiable Pests and Diseases in Honeybees, (t) Inspections for Environmental Protection - Planned, (u) Inspections for Environmental Protection - Responsive, (v) Permit Inspection for Intensive and Poultry Farms, (w) Inspection for Water Resource Protection, (x) Dairy Hygiene Inspection, (y) Local Authority Farm Inspection - Planned, (z) Local Authority Farm Inspection - Responsive, (aa) Integrated Site Assessment (SSSI and HLS), (bb) Wildlife Licensing Inspection, (cc) Animal Poisoning Inspection, (dd) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Inspection, (ee) Injurious Weeds Inspection, (ff) Cross Compliance Inspection, (gg) RDPE Compliance Monitoring Inspection, (hh) Single Payment Scheme Land Eligibility Inspection, (ii) Sheep and Goat (SAG) Identification Inspection, (jj) Cattle Identification Inspection, (kk) Veterinary Medicines Regulations Inspections, (ll) Felling Licence Inspections, (mm) Checks for Illegal Tree Felling, (nn) EIA for Forestry Projects: Pre-Approval and Compliance Visits, (oo) SPHN: Farm Visits for Phytopthora spp., (pp) Checks for Chalara Infection, (qq) Grant Inspections - Title I and Title I Ex-Post, (rr) Grant Inspections Title II and (ss) Aquaculture Production Business Inspection inspections.

George Eustice: Under the Government’s Red Tape Challenge Defra undertook to develop a more targeted approach to farm inspections. The aims are to reduce the burden of inspections on farmers with a good track record of compliance and to ensure that farm inspections are carried out as efficiently as possible whilst maintaining animal health and welfare, food safety and environmental standards. Changes under consideration include combining more inspections, allowing more farmers to benefit from “earned recognition” and improving the planning and co-ordination of inspections by regulators. An announcement will be made early next year.

Home Office

Domestic Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of incidents marked as domestic violence incidents related to (a) male perpetrators against female partners and (b) all other forms of domestic violence in the latest period for which figures are available.

Lynne Featherstone: The information requested is not available centrally. The domestic abuse incident data that the police supply to the Home Office does not provide information on the gender of victims and perpetrators or the type of abuse.

Art Works

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on transporting, installing and removing works of art from the Government Art Collection for the display of artwork in her Department since May 2010.

Karen Bradley: The Government Art Collection meets the cost of transporting, installing and removing works of art from their Collection that are loaned to the Home Department.

Antisemitism

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussion she has had with social media companies about anti-Semitic comments on social media forums.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office, working through the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism which works to tackle all forms of hate crime, has engaged with leading social media companies, related industry representatives and community groups to discuss the issues of the personal harm caused by offensive material on the internet. This has included work as part of the anti-cyber hate working group. As part of this collaborative process, the group has produced and recently published ‘Responding to the Challenge of Cyberhate: Best Practices’. This provides a useful tool to help internet service providers, social media companies and other internet industry organisations to challenge and counter online hatred, whilst recognising the importance of free speech. The government expects social media companies to have robust processes in place to promptly deal with a case when abuse is reported to them. This includes acting quickly to assess the report, removing content which does not comply with the acceptable use policies or terms and conditions that are in place, and where appropriate, suspending or terminating the accounts of those breaching the rules that are in place. We have supported the development of True Vision, the police-led online reporting facility and information resource, which allows people to report internet hate material directly to the police. The Government will continue to work with social media and the internet industries in the interests of the public, as we take online hatred very seriously. Online abuse is just as illegal as communications that are offline and anyone who has been a victim of internet abuse should not hesitate to contact the police.

Information Officers

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff have been employed by her Department's press office in each of the last five years; how many such staff were paid more than (a) £40,000, (b) £50,000, (c) £75,000 and (d) £100,000 in each such year; and what the total cost of her Department's press office was in those years.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 27 November 2014



The following table shows the number of staff that were employed by the press office at 31 March of each year. It also shows the number of staff that cost the department over £40,000, £50,000, £75,000 and £100,000 in each year and what the total cost of the press office was in each of those years. These costs to the department do not represent salaries earned. The press office operates 24 hours a day 365 days a year and the figures include weekend and on-call allowances, overtime as well as pension and national insurance costs.Extra allowances were paid in 2012/13 for staff that were seconded to the Government Olympic Communication hub.Since June 2010 we have reduced the number of posts by over 3,000 across the Home Office by centralising some corporate functions. The Home Office is still set to reduce overall spending by 23 per cent in real terms by 2015.  2013/142012/132011/122010/112009/10Staff4243494251  2013/142012/132011/122010/112009/10Over £40,000121191921Over £50,0001219171818Over £75,00001001Over £100,00011111Total cost £2,176,8982,356,4222,310,0542,474,5502,564,513

Publicity

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what public awareness campaigns her Department has run in each of the last five years; how much each such campaign cost; and how much her Department spent on public awareness campaigns in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 27 November 2014



The Department has spent £13,616,909 on public awareness campaigns since April 2010.The following table outlines Home Office spend on public awareness advertising campaigns from the 2010/2011 Financial Year. To note, spend per campaign includes media (TV, digital, direct mail, outdoor, radio, media partnerships), evaluation, production and related fees, but excludes VAT. Costs for 2014/15 shows campaign spend to date.   



Home Office spend on public awareness 
(Word Document, 51 KB)

Police Custody: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in Northern Ireland on the implementation of the proposed change in the law to prevent 17 year olds being held in custody overnight.

Mike Penning: The Government is committed to ensuring that young people are protected and treated appropriately while in police custody. That is why we supported amendments in the House to change the law in regard to the detention of 17 year olds in England and Wales.We have consulted a number of key stakeholders and partners, including Northern Ireland. We will continue to work with colleagues as we implement the changes to legislation.

Catering

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Karen Bradley: The amount spent on catering and hospitality in the Department for the full financial years covering April 2008 to March 2014 is provided in the table below. There has been a considerable reduction in expenditure since May 2010 compared to the final years of the previous Labour Government.2008-092009-102010-112011-122012-132013-14£2,073,000£2,395,000£813,632£513,165£400,890£431,551

Death Certificates

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his policy is on enabling public registrars to print the full postal address including postcodes on death certificates.

James Brokenshire: The information contained in a death certificate is set in statute. The usual addresses of the deceased and the informant are collected primarily for identification purposes and may include postcodes where this is provided by the informant.

Fraud

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many crimes involving fraud were recorded by Action Fraud but not passed on as part of intelligence packages to police forces for enforcement action in each of the last five reporting years.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of fraud offences that were recorded by Action Fraud but were not passed to police forces for enforcement action. This is because fraud offences that are passed to police forces may sometimes have been recorded by Action Fraud in previous years. It is therefore not possible to determine exactly how many of the crimes recorded in a given year were not passed to police forces to take enforcement action.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she intends to reply to the letter to the Immigration and Security Minister dated 22 September 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Joseph Ola Coker.

James Brokenshire: I wrote to the Rt. Hon Member with regards to Mr Joseph Ola Coker on 15 October 2014. A further copy has now been sent to the Rt.Hon. Member.

Renewable Energy

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the capacity of her Department's buildings for the micro-generation of renewable energy; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: A ground source heat pump and photovoltaic panels have been installed at sites used by the College of Policing. With our facilities managers, we are constantly reviewing the latest technologies against the potential of our assets to reduce carbon emissions. An example is the new passport office being constructed alongside the River Wear in Durham which is associated with a hydro-power turbine beinginstalled as part of the wider development.

Wales Office

Infrastructure

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the level of infrastructure investment in Wales since 2010.

Stephen Crabb: I refer my hon Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon Members for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr and Stroud.

HM Treasury

Income Tax: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people paid the (a) top rate, (b) higher rate and (c) basic rate of income tax in each Scottish parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr David Gauke: Estimates of the number of individuals by Scottish parliamentary constituency whose highest marginal rate of income tax was the basic rate and the higher or additional rates for the tax years 2007-08, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 are provided in the table attached. 



higher/additional rate taxpayers table
(Word Document, 29.43 KB)

Take-away Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has spent on take-away food for staff since May 2010.

Andrea Leadsom: This information is not available.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Water

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps he is taking to reduce water (a) usage and (b) bills in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Amber Rudd: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) already utilises water efficient appliances, including waterless urinals. In addition, over the past twelve months DECC has undertaken a number of measures aimed at reducing its water use and water bills. These include undertaking an independent water audit, increased maintenance on its hot and cold water dispensers to make them more efficient, the closing and draining down of its cooling towers over the winter months when chilling is not required, staff awareness raising measures and maintenance work to fix a small number of leaking taps.

Timber: Waste

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the amount of wood waste in the UK which is suitable for incineration in biomass power stations.

Amber Rudd: Holding answer received on 02 December 2014



The Government has made no assessment of the amount of wood waste in the UK which is suitable for incineration in biomass stations. However, a market situation report published by Waste & Resources Action Programme UK in 2011 stated that “almost 2.3 million tonnes of wood waste was recycled or used in energy recovery in the UK in 2010, over 50% of estimated UK wood waste arisings”. Of this, the end market for 0.55 million tonnes is listed as biomass/energy.http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Wood%20Market%20Situation%20Report_0.pdf 



WRAP: Market Situation Report Recovered Wood 2011
(PDF Document, 1.24 MB)

Cabinet Office

Take-away Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on take-away food for staff since May 2010.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much (a) his Department and (b) the Deputy Prime Minister's Office have spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Deputy Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.Information on official and charity receptions hosted by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minster, including costs, is available on the GOV.UK website.Any expenditure on catering and hospitality is made in accordance with published guidance on financial procedures and propriety.

Government Departments: Statistics

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data the Government collects at (a) lower layer super output area and (b) ward level.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



Excel Sheet for Member - Super Output Area
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.72 KB)




ONS Letter to Member - Super Output Area
(PDF Document, 109.66 KB)

Teenage Pregnancy

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which 100 wards had the highest (a) number and (b) rate of teenage pregnancy in the latest year for which figures are available.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



Excel Sheet - Teenage Pregnancy
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.12 KB)




ONS Letter to Member - Teenage Pregnancy
(PDF Document, 122.04 KB)

Lord Wei

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Lord Wei possessed a security pass to No. 10 Downing Street while a Minister in his Department.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2014 to Question 211877, what the (a) name, (b) salary grade and (c) position was of each of the three officials assigned to work with Lord Wei.

Mr Francis Maude: The three civil servants compromised a policy official (Band A), an administration support officer (Band B2), and a diary secretary (Band C). Personal details of junior civil servants are not normally disclosed.Following the practice of successive administrations, the Government does not give a running commentary on security matters.

Big Society Network

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes and a list of attendees of the meeting between the hon. Member for Northwood and Pinner and the Big Society Network in September 2012.

Mr Rob Wilson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 December 2014 to PQs UIN216289, UIN216290, UIN216291,UIN216292 and UIN216293.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Catering

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much his Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Mrs Helen Grant: Expenditure on catering and hospitality in the run up to 2012 was influenced by the requirements associated with the successful delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, after which spending returned to modest levels, this set out below:Financial Year  Central DCMS spending£s Olympics & Paralympics spending£s Total DCMS spending£s2010-1127,555 19,241 46,7962011-12 21,400 90,951 112,3502012-13 19,148 104,084 123,2322013-14 7,415 200 7,615Total 113,199 195,234 308,434  The central DCMS spending figure over the last four years has been significantly lower than the figures between 2007 and 2010. In each of those financial years the figure was over £65,000 and in 2009-10 it was £82,076. In just four years, this spending figure has been cut by some 90 per cent, demonstrating this Government’s determination to avoid the worst excesses of the past.

Telecommunications

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the Law Commission's recommendations for reform of the Electronic Communications Code.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Since the publication of the Law Commission’s report on the Electronic Communications Code, DCMS has been considering the implications of the recommendations on network roll out and service provision to consumers. In January 2014, we published an economic analysis of the impacts of various wayleave valuation regimes. A copy of this report has been placed in the House of Commons library. My officials are continuing to assess the implications of the Law Commission’s recommendations and I will make public my plans to reform the Electronic Communications Code in due course.

Telecommunications

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government plans to publish its response to the Law Commission's recommendations for reform of the Electronic Communications Code.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Since the publication of the Law Commission’s report on the Electronic Communications Code, DCMS has been considering the implications of the recommendations on network roll out and service provision to consumers. In January 2014, we published an economic analysis of the impacts of various wayleave valuation regimes. A copy of this report has been placed in the House of Commons library. I am still considering my position on the reform of the Electronic Communications Code and will respond in detail to the Law Commission in due course.

Take-away Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much his Department has spent on take-away food for staff since May 2010.

Mrs Helen Grant: The DCMS’ finance information system does not identify expenditure for take away food separately. Therefore this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Local Government: Archaeology

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish the Howell-Redesdale report on the future of local government archaeology services.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The report will be published in due course.

Broadband: Urban Areas

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the speed of the delivery of superfast broadband to urban areas and progress in resolving black spots of coverage.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Superfast Broadband Programme focuses on providing coverage to ‘white areas’ as defined by State aid, where there is currently no superfast availability. ‘Grey areas’ have coverage of one provider and ‘black areas’ have coverage of more than one provider. Superfast coverage in urban areas continues to improve with investment predominantly made by the commercial sector. In Ofcom’s report in June 2014 the proportion of UK urban premises able to receive NGA broadband services was 85%. Ofcom’s report on Fixed-line broadband is available at: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/other/telecoms-research/broadband-speeds/broadband-speeds-may2014/

Department of Health

Catering

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department has spent the following on hospitality in each financial year: Financial year £ 2009-10 937,578.56 2010-11 629,478.02 2011-12 452,893.27 2012-13 385,998.40 2013-14 193,591.20 2014-15 (to 27/10/14) 95,621.56 For 2013-14, the most recent annual data, this represented £743,987.36 reduction on 20019-10, the last full year of data for the previous Government. These costs include the provision of refreshments for external meetings and visitors hosted in the Department's buildings. Departmental policy is not to provide refreshments for internal meetings.

Transvaginal Mesh Implants

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress the working group on transvaginal mesh implants has made; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The working group on vaginal tapes and mesh, chaired by NHS England and including patient representatives, clinical representatives, the Department and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, has been set up to understand and address the concerns which have been raised about transvaginal mesh implants. The working group is aiming to make recommendations in spring next year.

Dialysis Machines

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the clinical rationale is for NHS England's proposal to decommission dialysis as a specialised service.

Jane Ellison: The Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group (PSSAG) is a Department of Health appointed expert committee which was established in 2013 to provide the Secretary of State with advice and recommendations on Specialised Services. PSSAG meets multiple times a year. PSSAG met and formulated its recommendations on 30 September 2014. PSSAG felt that renal dialysis services no longer met the criteria for specialised commissioning and the responsibility for commissioning the service should be transferred to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).   NHS England has advised that they are in dialogue with key stakeholders about both the opportunities and challenges of transferring responsibility for renal services. The head of the Specialised Services Task Force in NHS England recently met stakeholders from renal service representative groups and heard their concerns directly. A new Task & Finish group is being established by NHS England through the NHS Commissioning Assembly. This group will look specifically at what support CCGs would require to be able to safely and effectively commission services devolved to them.   The Department has launched a public consultation to consider how to transfer commissioning responsibility and what would need to happen to ensure a smooth transition and maintain both service standards and patient safety. This consultation closes on 9 January 2015.   NHS England is committed to issuing commissioning guidance for the safe transfer of services from national NHS England responsibility to local CCG responsibility.

Cancer: Drugs

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the Chemotherapy Intelligence Unit to publish its national audit of the Cancer Drugs Fund.

George Freeman: We understand that NHS England is working jointly with Public Health England, who manage the Chemotherapy Intelligence Unit, on the Cancer Drugs Fund Audit.   NHS England has advised that it is anticipated an analysis from the audit will be published jointly by NHS England and Public Health England early in 2015.

Mental Health Services: Northern Ireland

Dr William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Minister of Health in Northern Ireland about support for people with mental illness.

Norman Lamb: My Rt. hon Friend the Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Minister of Health in Northern Ireland about support for people with mental illness.

General Practitioners

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in (a) each surgery in Corby constituency and (b) each clinical commissioning group area in England were unable to obtain a GP appointment within 48 hours in each month since 2010.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Data on waiting times to see a general practitioner (GP) is not collected.   The 48 hour waiting time target was removed because it was seen as too inflexible in meeting the needs of patients. The GP patient survey showed that the proportion of people who wanted to get an appointment within two days (and were able to) actually fell between 2008-09 and 2009-10 i.e. when the target was in place.

Dementia

Dr William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative assessment he has made of rates of dementia diagnosis in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the rest of the UK.

Dr William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce regional variations in dementia diagnosis.

Norman Lamb: Improving diagnosis rates for dementia in England is a priority for the Government and we want to see both an increase in the overall rate and a reduction in the current regional variation. Diagnosis rates for dementia in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved administrations.   NHS England is undertaking a range of initiatives to help reduce increase dementia diagnosis rates and reduce variation including:   Monthly Letters to Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs): the National Clinical Director for dementia is writing to CCGs on a monthly basis to update them on their latest dementia diagnosis rates. This information shows how each CCG is performing in relation to other CCGs in their area and by general practitioner practice. The letter contains resources and tools that CCGs and practices can use to help them increase diagnosis rates, for example, use of the Dementia Prevalence Calculator, which provides the opportunity for comparison between and within CCGs, at practice level.   Intensive Support Offer: bespoke support is available to CCGs who wish to access specific clinical advice, through a newly established network of dementia ambassadors. This network is working closely with Regional, Area Team and Strategic Clinical Network colleagues. It provides targeted support to CCGs, providing tools, resources and guidance to aid better understanding and improvements in local dementia data and information.

Hospitals: Food

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average daily cost is of providing meals for each in-patient in NHS hospitals.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department collects data from National Health Service trusts for the average total daily cost for the provision of all meals and beverages served to one in-patient per day. The latest information relates to the 2013-14 period, when this cost was reported as £10.87.   The cost is inclusive of all pay and non-pay costs, including provisions, ward issues, disposables, equipment and its maintenance.   The information has been supplied by the NHS and has not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

Ambulance Services: East Midlands

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken to improve the performance of the East Midlands Ambulance Service.

Jane Ellison: The NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA), Care Quality Commission, clinical commissioning groups and the trust continue to work together to improve performance.   The TDA will continue to meet regularly with the trust’s leadership team to review and monitor progress, to ensure response times continue to improve.   As part of overall operational resilience planning for winter, we have provided an additional £50 million nationally to support ambulance trusts in managing extra demand.

Electronic Cigarettes

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the advertising of e-cigarettes on television.

Jane Ellison: Advertising of e-cigarettes is subject to controls overseen by the Advertising Standards Authority, who are the United Kingdom's regulator of advertising across all media, including marketing on websites. The Committee of Advertising Practice and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice, who are the bodies responsible for writing and maintaining the advertising codes, recently issued guidance to the advertisers of e-cigarettes to help them fully comply with the current rules.   The Revised Tobacco Products Directive will come into force in May 2016. From that time it will be illegal to advertise e-cigarettes, other than those licenced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, on television in the UK.

Health Services: Devon

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England and regulatory bodies about the work of the NHS in Devon.

Jane Ellison: On behalf of Ministers, officials in the Department’s NHS Business Unit have contacted NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority about a range of matters related to the NHS in Devon over the last six months, including information relating to ministerial visits, correspondence and parliamentary questions.   We understand that the Northern Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group is currently considering the services it commissions. However the provision of health services is the responsibility of the local NHS.

NHS Walk-in Centres

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of closure of NHS walk-in centres on accident and emergency departments and GP practices.

Jane Ellison: Since 2007, the local National Health Service has been responsible for walk-in-centres (WiCs), it is for local commissioners to decide on the availability of these services.   Over a million more people will be over 65 at the end of the Parliament than there were at the beginning. We are experiencing an unprecedented demographic challenge in which people are living much longer with more complex needs and this is putting the NHS under significantly more pressure.   NHS England are working with clinical commissioning groups and urgent and emergency care providers to ensure that the local health economies have plans in place to ensure that patient have access to a full range of urgent and emergency care services, including WiCs where appropriate.   The Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund has invested £50 million into pilot schemes aiming to improve access to general practitioner services. Next year, a further £100 million will be invested into a second wave of the scheme.

Cancer: Older People

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an indicator measuring mortality rates of over-75s from cancer in the NHS Outcomes Framework; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The existing indicators in the NHS Outcomes Framework (NHS OF) are based on under 75 mortality for technical reasons, as attribution of cause of death is more complicated for older people, who often have multiple co-morbidities. Consequently, there is a lack of cause-specific robust indicators for the over 75s. For that reason Life Expectancy at 75 was adopted as the over-arching indicator for that age group in domain 1 of the NHS OF. Consequently all age groups are covered equally by Domain 1 in the NHS OF.   The NHS OF is subject to ongoing review by the Department, along with NHS England and other partners. As part of that ongoing process we will continue to explore whether there are additional ways of reflecting inequalities in outcomes for older people.

Diabetes

Mr Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2014 to Question 215005, if he will place in the Library the detailed data tables underpinning the bespoke analyses conducted by the Care Quality Commission, referred to in its report Thematic data review of diabetes care pathways, published on 16 October 2014.

Jane Ellison: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC has provided the following information.   A copy of the information requested has been attached.   The report ‘The State of health and adult social care in England 2013/14 – Technical annex: Thematic data review of diabetes care pathways’ was published on the CQC’s website on 16 October.   The CQC undertook two separate pieces of bespoke analysis, which were summarised in the 13/14 State of Care (technical annex): Thematic Data Review of Diabetes Care Pathways. Neither of these documents were published on the CQC’s website. Drafts of both have been previously circulated to the CQC’s external advisory group. These two separate pieces of analysis have been attached to this response. 



Diabetes care pathways report 2013-14
(PDF Document, 738.32 KB)




Diabetes care pathways CCG- data review
(PDF Document, 554.08 KB)




Diabetes care pathways Secondary Care data review
(PDF Document, 579.28 KB)

Thalidomide

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has made to the German Government about the issue of responsibility for the victims of thalidomide damage in the UK; and what the UK Government's responsibilities are in this matter.

Norman Lamb: I wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on 14 October 2014, asking if she would meet with representatives of the Thalidomide Trust. The specific issue of responsibility for the victims of the Thalidomide disaster was not addressed.

Take-away Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has spent on take-away food for staff since May 2010.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department has conducted a search of its own Business Management System and has identified no expenditure specifically for spend on take-away food for staff.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2014 to Question 210749, if his Department will seek confirmation of the compliance of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) with his Department's guidance and required standard operating procedures by reviewing BPAS publications and information; and whether his Department considers it necessary for BPAS to make amendments to page 8 of its publication British Abortion Law, what it says, and why, in order to achieve such compliance.

Jane Ellison: The Government has been consistently clear that abortion on the grounds of gender alone is illegal and the Department of Health repeated this in new guidance issued in May 2014.   All independent sector providers have agreed to comply with and operate on the basis of the Department’s new guidance and must do so as part of their licensing conditions.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission an assessment of the implications for his policies of the full text and research of the study by John Zhang et al, published in Fertility and Sterility, Vol. 80, Suppl. 3, September 2003, as part of his Department's consideration of the safety of pronuclear transfer.

Jane Ellison: The research study referred to has not been published in full and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s Expert Panel has established with the research group that nothing further will be published.

Pregnancy

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what definition of pregnancy is used by his Department for the purposes of sexual health policy.

Jane Ellison: It is established in law that pregnancy begins at implantation rather than fertilisation.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Northern Ireland

Dr William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he and officials in his Department have had with the Northern Ireland Department of Health to ensure that patients with rare muscle-wasting conditions have access to new and effective drugs.

George Freeman: We have had no such discussions.   As the hon. Member will be aware, Health is devolved in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in the Northern Ireland Executive.

Cancer: Northern Ireland

Dr William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Minister of Health in the Northern Irish Executive on raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer.

Jane Ellison: Research and evidence of best practice in health is shared widely across the United Kingdom. However, as health is a devolved matter Ministers do not routinely discuss health issues with their counterparts.

Cancer

Dr William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on the future treatment and care of people with cancer.

Dr William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved administrations to ensure continual improvement in cardiovascular disease outcomes.

Jane Ellison: Research and evidence of best practice in health is shared widely across the United Kingdom. However, as health is a devolved matter Ministers do not routinely discuss health issues with their counterparts.

Radiotherapy

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been allocated to improving access to (a) intensity-modulated radiation therapy, (b) image-guided radiation therapy and (c) stereotactic radiotherapy in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is committed to increasing access to treatments and techniques of proven clinical benefit. There are no specific financial figures for each element as the expenditure is in the Area Team budgets.   The Prime Minister set an ambitious challenge to the National Health Service to ensure that a minimum of 24% of patients who required radical radiotherapy were able to access inverse planned Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) from April 2013. This ambition was achieved in May 2014. The success of this planned expansion of access is demonstrated in the increase in the number IMRT episodes, which have risen from just over 8,500 per year in 2012-13 to a projected figure of over 25,000 for 2014-15.   NHS England launched a 12 week consultation on proposed changes to the shape of Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Radiotherapy services across the country on 3 November 2014, which will run until 26 January 2015. Following this consultation, and once a decision has been made by NHS England about the future configuration of services; NHS England will launch a procurement exercise to ensure the right level of service is accessible to patients, regardless of where they live.

Thalidomide

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the German government about (a) that government's role in the criminal process relating to thalidomide and (b) compensation for all those affected by that drug; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: I wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on 14 October 2014, asking if she would meet with representatives of the Thalidomide Trust. The specific issues of the German Government’s role in the criminal process and compensation for those affected by the drug were not addressed but we understand that these are the matters that the Thalidomide Trust wishes to discuss with the German Government.

Care Homes: Learning Disability

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in England with learning disabilities of each (a) gender, (b) age group, (c) local authority and (d) type of disability were in residential care in each of the last 10 years.

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many residential care home places for people with learning difficulties there have been in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years.

Norman Lamb: We do not hold information centrally on people with learning disabilities in residential care disaggregated by gender and type of disability.   Information on people with learning disabilities disaggregated by age group and local authority that were in residential care in each of the last 10 years is attached.   We do not hold information centrally on how many residential care home places for people with learning difficulties there have been in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years. 



Learning disabilities and residential care 2004-14
(Excel SpreadSheet, 49.41 KB)

Hazardous Substances: Waste Disposal

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure that sufficient assessment of modern hazardous waste sites has been undertaken by the Health Protection Agency to enable understanding of the potential public health risks associated with such sites.

Jane Ellison: The former Health Protection Agency (HPA) became part of Public Health England (PHE) in April 2013.   In 2011, the HPA published a review of the ‘Impact on Health of Emissions from Landfill Sites’. This review included landfills for hazardous waste. The review considered research from the Environment Agency, peer reviewed epidemiological studies and statements from the independent expert committee, the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer products and the Environment.   The review concluded that there has been no new evidence to change the previous advice that living close to a well-managed modern landfill site does not pose a significant risk to human health. As noted in the review, detailed site-specific risk assessment should remain an important part of the permitting and management process. PHE is consulted by the Environment Agency when they receive permit applications and variations for landfill sites, to ensure that public health is protected.

Pancreatic Cancer: Drugs

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that all treatments for advanced pancreatic cancer shown to be effective are made available to patients on the NHS.

George Freeman: The Government is committed to ensuring that patients have access to effective treatments, including those for pancreatic cancer, on terms that represent value to the National Health Service and the taxpayer.   The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing advice to the NHS on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of health technologies.   NICE has recommended gemcitabine as a treatment option for pancreatic cancer in technology appraisal guidance published in May 2001, subject to certain clinical criteria, and has been asked to appraise a number of other pancreatic cancer drugs. NHS commissioners are legally required to fund treatments recommended by NICE technology appraisal guidance.   Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments that may be used for pancreatic cancer are commissioned by NHS England. NHS England’s pancreatic cancer service specification clearly defines what it expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective pancreatic cancer services.   NHS England has also committed to make up to £6 million available over the next three years to support six trials by Cancer Research UK - one of which will be on pancreatic cancer - into the use of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR), an innovative radiotherapy treatment. This will allow patients to receive SABR treatment where clinicians think they could benefit. At the same time doctors can fully assess the effectiveness of this treatment so that, if it proves to be effective, it will be available for patients on the NHS where appropriate.   We are commissioning an external review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology. This review will consider how to speed up access for NHS patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices.

Pressure Sores

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of pressure ulcers that are caused by poor continence care.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS has spent on treating pressure ulcers in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: Information concerning the cost of treating pressure ulcers is not separately identifiable within the reference costs that National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts submit annually to the Department.   NHS England has advised that no assessment has been made of the proportion of pressure ulcers that are caused by poor continence care. However, maintaining skin integrity and maintaining continence are both aspects of fundamental care.   The NHS Safety Thermometer is the measurement tool for a programme of work to support patient safety improvement. It is used to record patient harms at the frontline, and to provide immediate information and analyses for frontline teams to monitor their performance in delivering harm free care. The NHS Safety Thermometer records the presence or absence of four harms: - pressure ulcers; - falls; - urinary tract infections in patients with a catheter; and - new venous thromboembolisms. These four harms were selected as the focus by the Department’s QIPP Safe Care programme because they are common, and because there is a clinical consensus that they are largely preventable through appropriate patient care. The concept of Harm Free Care was designed to bring focus to the patient’s overall experience. Patients are assessed in their care settings. Measurement at the frontline is intended to focus attention on patient harms and their elimination.

Women and Equalities

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, how much the Government Equalities Office paid to (a) G4S, (b) Serco, (c) Sodexo, (d) GEOAmey, (e) Capita, (f) Atos, (g) Mitie, (h) Working Links, (i) A4E, (j) MTC Amey, (k) GEO Group and (l) Carillion in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14.

Jo Swinson: The table sets out the amounts paid to the companies in question by DCMS, which in the relevant years, included the Government Equalities Office (GEO). For prior years the Department does not hold this information. This will be recorded in the accounts of the Home Office, as the GEO used the expertise of the Home Office and Government Procurement Service.   2012-13 2013-14Supplier G4S320.400.00   Capita Health Solutions0.000.00Capita Resourcing Ltd2,859,479.694,312,004.26Capita Learning & Development16,816.1540,584.36Capita Bisiness Travel94,356.640.00Capita Symonds66,375.600.00Capita Business Services (interim)0.0074,679.50   Atos5,958,713.104,707,570.47   Mitie Managed Services0.000.00   Carillion Business Services Ltd2,301,879.07656,254.50   Carillion Business Services Ltd892,106.500.00